Walker

ABSTRACT

A walker is disclosed in which the members supporting the seat of the walker are provided with a resilient material covering. The resilient covering material may be of tubular construction thereby enabling it to be mounted on the seat supporting members by sliding it over such members. Alternatively, the resilient covering material may be in sheet form and mounted around the supporting members by wrapping it thereon. In such a case, the resilient material would be held in place by a covering material provided with fastening means, straps, adhesive or other suitable means. The resilient material is preferably a foam type of material and preferably extends downward over at least the outer portions of the wheels of the walker. The purpose of the above abstract is to provide a non-legal technical statement of the disclosure of the contents of the instant patent application and thus serve as a searching-scanning tool for scientists, engineers and researchers. Accordingly, this abstract is not intended to be used in understanding or otherwise comprehending the principles of the present invention hereinafter described in detail, nor is it intended to be used in interpreting or in any way limiting the scope or fair meaning of the claims appended hereto.

United States Patent [191 Petoek 451 May at, 11975 WALKER [76] Inventor:Michael F. lPetock, 420 Littlebrook Rd., Berwyn, Pa, 19312 [22] Filed:July 1, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 484,661

[52] US. (31...... 280/87.02 W; 248/345.1; 272/703;

297/5 [51] Int. Cl B6215) 11/00 [58] Field of Search 280/8702 W;272/703; 297/5, 6; 248/3451 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS2,153,481 4/1939 Ponselle 248/3451 2,657,735 11/1953 Hughes 297/53,059,963 10/1962 Hamilton 297/5 3,183,028 5/1965 Williams 272/703 X3,289,995 12/1966 Taylor 248/345.l 3,523,710 8/1970 Barecki et a1248/3451 X 3,643,905 2/1972 Kint 248/3451 3,754,786 8/1973 Boucher 297/5FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 26,732 2/1916 Norway 248/3451 PrimaryExaminer-Leo Friaglia Attorney, Agent or Firm Michael F. Petock [57]ABSTRACT A walker is disclosed in which the members supporting the seatof the walker are provided with a resilient material covering. Theresilient covering material may be of tubular construction therebyenabling it to be mounted on the seat supporting; members by sliding itover such members. Alternatively, the resilient covering material may bein sheet form and mounted around the supporting members by wrapping itthereon. In such a case, the resilient material would be held in placeby a. covering material provided with fastening means, straps, adhesiveor other suitable means. The resilient material is preferably a foamtype of material and preferably extends downward over at least the outerportions of the wheels of the walker.

limiting the scope or fair meaning of the claims appended hereto. 7

14 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED HAY 2 01975 WALKER BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION The present invention relates to a walker or apparatus forassisting a human being in learning to walk. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to a padding construction for protectingfurniture and other objects in the environment in which the walker isused.

In the past, most walker devices were not provided with any means forprotecting furniture and other objects in the environment in which theywere used. This resulted in considerable damage to furniture of alltypes, woodwork, doors and built in cabinets. This is especially so inthe case of baby walkers wherein a very young child just beginning towalk has very little or no appreciation of the need to protect furnitureand other objects. The child in such case very often rams the memberswhich support the flexible seat into furniture, doors and various otherobjects.

The teachings of the prior art have not been satisfactory for overcomingthis long standing problem. For example, US. Pat. No. 3,145,048-Dowdy,et al., disclose a resilient bumper mounted on the outer periphery of anannular frame on the walker which is only a few inches above the floorlevel. This bumper is mounted immediately above the wheels of thewalker. A bumper of this type requires that the dimensions of the walkerbe significantly increased. This presents problems with respect to thechild in the walker negotiating narrow passage ways. More importantly,no protection is provided to furniture and other objects where thebumper passes underneath the furniture and the supporting members comein contact with a portion of the furniture.

A similar type bumper arrangement is disclosed by US. Pat. No.3,183,028-Williams. Williams discloses an annular bumper which ismounted on extension members extending from the members supporting theflexible seat. The bumper on the extension members extends even furtherthan that disclosed by Dowdy, et al., thereby requiring an even largerminimum space in order to enable the walker to pass and still suffersfrom the defect of not providing protection to furniture and otherobjects when the members supporting the seat 7 come in contact with suchoverhanging furniture and other objects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a significantand important advantage of protecting furniture and other objects inwhich the walker is used without substantially increasing the dimensionsof the walker.

Another advantage of the present invention is that, in one embodiment,the padding is easily removable for cleaning.

Another advantage of the present invention is that it providesprotection for furniture in a manner that is economical and easilymanufactured.

Another advantage of the present invention is that it may be applied toexisting walkers.

Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, anapparatus is provided for assisting a human being in learning to walk.The apparatus includes a flexible seat and a plurality of upwardlyextending members for supporting the seat mounted on wheels for freemovement. A resilient material surrounds at least a part of each of theplurality of members extending at least from a point substantiallyadjacent said wheels to a point of a height substantially adjacent saidflexible seat thereby minimizing the likelihood of damage to objects, inthe environment in which the apparatus is used, by the plurality ofmembers.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a kit isprovided for use in making a baby walker less likely to damage objectsin the environment in which it is used. The baby walker includes aflexible seat and a plurality of upwardly extending members forsupporting the seat mounted on wheels for free movement. The kitcomprises a plurality of pieces of resilient material constructed of ashape adapted to be mounted on at least a part of each of the pluralityof members supporting the seat of the walker. Each of the plurality ofpieces of resilient material are adapted to extend at least from a pointsubstantially adjacent said wheels to a point of a height substantiallyadjacent the flexible seat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For the purpose of illustrating theinvention, there are shown in the drawings forms which are presentlypreferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is notlimited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of an apparatus in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective showing the structure of the inventionin slightly modified form from that shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of another embodiment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawingsin detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shownin FIG. 1 a walker 10. Walker 10 is provided with a flexible seat 12having appertures 13 through which the legs of a young child or baby maypass. The flexible seat 12 is provided with a plurality of members 14for supporting the flexible seat 12. A tray 15 may be mounted on themembers 14 as-shown. The flexible seat 12, member 14, tray 15 and theirinterconnections are well known in the art and need not be describedhere in detail.

A resilient material 16 is provided to surround at least a portion ofmembers or support members 14. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5, theresilient material is in sheet form and is-wrapped around supportmembers 14. This resilient material may be of any well known type suchas rubber. However, the resilient material, when used in either sheetform or tubular form, is preferably a foam type material, such as foamrubber, foam polystyrene or foam polyurethane.

As shown in FIG. 1, the resilient material preferably extends down overwheels 20. Wheels 20 support the plurality of members 14 for freemovement of the walker 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the resilient materialneed only cover the sections of the wheel which would come in contactwith other objects. For example, it is sufficient that wheel 20A havepadding or resilient material in the directions of arrows 30 and 32.

As shown in FIG. 1, the resilient material may be provided with acovering material 18. The covering material 18 may be a vinyl typematerial, canvas, natural or synthetic fabric, synthetic resin flexibleplastic material or any other suitable cleanable material, synthetic ornatural. The covering material 18 is provided with fasteners 22.Fasteners 22 may be snap fasteners, as

shown, clasps or any other suitable type of fastener well known in theart.

The covering material 18 should be a material which is readilycleanable. Often times, a young child or baby using the walker willspill various foods and liquids on the covering 18 or soil it by othermeans. Therefore, the provision of the covering material provides asignificant advantage in allowing the padding means of the presentinvention to be readily cleanable since the covering material is easilyremoved and washable by conventional means.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown the resilient material 16 andcovering material 18 partially unwrapped from support member 14. Theupper portion of FIG. 2 also helps to illustrate the detail of thestructure shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. However, FIG. 2 shows anotherembodiment of the present invention wherein the resilient material 16and the covering material 18 completely surround the wheel 20 and itsjournalling structure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention wherein straps26 are used to retain resilient material 16, which is of the sheet type.The straps 26 are provided with fasteners 28. The straps 26 may also beused in conjunction with an embodiment wherein both the resilientmaterial 16 and the covering material 18 are used. In the alternative,the straps 26 may be eliminated by adhesively bonding the resilientmaterial 16 to support member 14 by a suitable adhesive well known inthe art.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown another embodiment of thepresent invention wherein resilient material 24 of a tubularconstruction is shown. The tubular resilient material does not requireany fastening means to hold it in place. However, straps or adhesive maybe used to ensure no movement of the resilient material. The resilientmaterial 24 may be slid over the support members 14. If resilientmaterial 24 is installed at the time of initial manufacturing, theresilient material 24 may preferably be slid over support member 14prior to the time of installation of wheels 20. If the resilientmaterial 24 is being installed at a later time, the wheels 20 may bepreferably removed, and resilient material 24 slid over support member14. In the case where the tubular material is installed after the timeof manufacture, the wheels 20 are conventionally easily removable bypulling them out of support members 14 in which they are usuallyretained by a spring member expanded against the inner walls of supportmember 14.

The present invention includes kits of resilient material with orwithout fastening means and covering materials. For example, kits ofresilient material 16 may be provided for walkers which have beenpreviously manufactured. These kits could include resilient materialwith straps 16 or with a covering material 18. The kits may also becomprised simply of four pieces of tubular resilient material 24 or mayinclude four pieces of resilient material 24 and a covering means 18 forease in cleaning. Although four pieces of resilient material have beenused for ease in illustrating the kit, it will be apparent that anynumber less than 4 may be sold in a kit. This is especially so in thecase where a walker may use only 3 supporting members 14.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, additions, and changes in the structure of the inventionmay be made while remaining within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. For example, the form of walker illustrated in FIG. 1 hasbeen chosen only for illustrative purposes. A completely different typeof walker could be used, such as one having a seat supported on threemembers. Furthermore, it is obvious that various other types offasteners may be used. Furthermore, various changes may be made in theportions of the support members which are protected by the resilientmaterial.

In view of the above, the present invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributesthereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appendedclaims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating thescope of the invention.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for assisting a human being in learning to walk,comprising: a flexible seat, a plurality of upwardly extending membersfor supporting said seat, said plurality of members being supported onwheels for free movement, and a resilient material surrounding at leasta part of each of said plurality of members extending at least from apoint substantially adjacent said wheels to a point of a heightsubstantially adjacent said flexible seat thereby minimizing thelikelihood of damage to objects, in the environment in which theapparatus is used, by said plurality of members.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said resilient materialis a foam material.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, including a covering materialmounted over said foam resilient material.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said covering materialis provided with a fastening means thereby providing easy removal forcleaning.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said resilient materialis tubular and is mounted over said plurality of members.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said resilient materialextends in the form of a pad at least partially around said wheelssupporting said plurality of members.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said resilient materialis wrapped around at least a portion of each of said plurality ofmembers and retained in place by a plurality of straps.

8. A kit for use in making a baby walker less likely to damage objectsin the environment in which it is used, said baby walker including aflexible seat and a plurality of upwardly extending members forsupporting said seat, said plurality of members being mounted on wheelsfor free movement, comprising: a plurality of pieces of resilientmaterial constructed of a shape adapted to be mounted on at least a partof each of the plurality of members supproting said seat of said walker,each of said plurality of pieces of resilient material being adapted toextend at least from a point substantially adjacent said wheels to apoint of a height substantially adjacent said flexible seat.

9. A kit in accordance with claim 8 wherein said pieces of resilientmaterial are comprised of a foam resilient material.

10. A kit in accordance with claim 9, including a plurality of pieces ofcovering material for mounting over said plurality of pieces of foamresilient material.

11. A kit in accordance with claim 10 wherein said plurality of piecesof covering material are provided with fastening means thereby providingeasy removal for cleaning.

12. A kit in accordance with claim 8 wherein said plurality of pieces ofresilient material are tubular and are adapted to be mounted over saidplurality of memplace.

1. An apparatus for assisting a human being in learning to walk,comprising: a flexible seat, a plurality of upwardly extending membersfor supporting said seat, said plurality of members being supported onwheels for free movement, and a resilient material surrounding at leasta part of each of said plurality of members extending at least from apoint substantially adjacent said wheels to a point of a heightsubstantially adjacent said flexible seat thereby minimizing thelikelihood of damage to objects, in the environment in which theapparatus is used, by said plurality of members.
 2. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said resilient material is a foammaterial.
 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, including a coveringmaterial mounted over said foam resilient material.
 4. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 3 wherein said covering material is provided witha fastening means thereby providing easy removal for cleaning. 5.Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said resilient material istubular and is mounted over said plurality of members.
 6. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said resilient material extends in theform of a pad at least partially around said wheels supporting saidplurality of members.
 7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 whereinsaid resilient material is wrapped around at least a portion of each ofsaid plurality of members and retained in place by a plurality ofstraps.
 8. A kit for use in making a baby walker less likely to damageobjects in the environment in which it is used, said baby walkerincluding a flexible seat and a plurality of upwardly extending membersfor supporting said seat, said plurality of members being mounted onwheels for free movement, comprising: a plurality of pieces of resilientmaterial constructed of a shape adapted to be mounted on at least a partof each of the plurality of members supproting said seat of said walker,each of said plurality of pieces of resilient material being adapted toextend at least from a point substantially adjacent said wheels to apoint of a height substantially adjacent said flexible seat.
 9. A kit inaccordance with claim 8 wherein said pieces of resilient material arecomprised of a foam resilient material.
 10. A kit in accordance withclaim 9, including a plurality of pieces of covering material formounting over said plurality of pieces of foam resilient material.
 11. Akit in accordance with claim 10 wherein said plurality of pieces ofcovering material are provided with fastening means thereby providingeasy removal for cleaning.
 12. A kit in accordance with claim 8 whereinsaid plurality of pieces of resilient material are tubular and areadapted to be mounted over said plurality of members.
 13. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 8 wherein said plurality of pieces of resilientmaterial are constructed of a shape adapted to extend in the form of apad at least partially around said wheels supporting said pluraliTy ofmembers.
 14. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein said pluralityof pieces of resilient material are adapted to be wrapped around saidplurality of members and wherein said kit is provided with a pluralityof straps to retain said plurality of pieces of resilient material inplace.